Where is the State Department?

Boycotts are now prohibited in Israel. That is, boycotts against Israel or the West Bank settlements are prohibited. If you organize or even support such a boycott, you can find yourself in court and possibly paying damage to the plaintiff, whether or not the plaintiff suffered any damages.

The Jewish Daily Forward printed an example of a prohibited article: The struck sentences would incur the wrath of the authorities.

So, for example, if we say something like: We can understand why reasonable people could advocate a boycott of products made in Israeli settlements in the West Bank because those settlements are deemed illegal under international law and because a boycott is a peaceful way of expressing a moral concern — well, if we say something like that, we could be sued and held liable in civil court. And that court could award financial recompense to the plaintiff not according to actual damage done to his income if, for instance, we suggested that people refrain from buying his oranges or his facial cream, but according to what he thinks he might lose in the future.

Our State Department, which has been lambasting China and other countries for restricting freedom of speech, believes that the law is “an internal Israeli matter” and noted that “Israel has a history of a healthy democracy, and this law is a product of the democratic process of Israel.” Other countries do not feel the same way.